WHERE NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

It’s good to have a place where everybody knows your name, but sometimes, being anonymous is what soothes my soul.

I love visiting places where I know nobody knows my name, which sounds strange. Isn’t one of my dreams for readers to clamor for my next short story or book? Doesn’t every writer want a bit of celebrity? Maybe not. ( J. D. Salinger comes to mind.)

What would it be like to be hounded by paparazzi? Do we really want long lines at booksignings and ample press coverage if it means we are forced to hire bodyguards?

Perhaps a bit of anonymity while researching a project is more profitable in the long run. I can see where doors open for those whose names have already “been made.” Would anyone say no to a plea from John Grisham or J. K. Rowling? Probably not.

However, sometimes putting the best foot forward and being polite opens those doors, too. A friend of mine was writing a mystery novel dealing with a crime taking place in an opulent hotel room in London – the type neither of us could afford at the time. To his surprise, the management not only offered to show him the accommodations, but also allowed him to stay alone in the room as long as he wanted to get the feel of the space. Perhaps it was his Texas accent or the way he carried himself that persuaded them, but either way, he was no one the public could recognize yet and certainly not an author on the New York Times bestseller list. He was (and still is) recognized as first and foremost a really nice guy.

Celebrity is an interesting term. We will not discuss any barely-out-of-their-teens singer/actors whose every move is splashed across the front pages of the tabloids whether we want to hear ad nauseam about their antics or not. (We have been warned repeatedly about such offenses, so I will not go there again lest I incur the wrath of our beloved Criminal Brief leader. Those who are NOT to be named, will not be by me – at least not in this article.) But, writers finding themselves published with or without paying their dues sometimes find sudden celebrity and are without the intelligence of how to use the new fame. Most of them handle it well, but there are a few who don’t.

This reminds me of a lottery winner whose personality takes a sudden change and not for the better. On a TV talk show, I learned this new personality isn’t really “new” at all. Those characteristics were apparently always there all along, but rise to the surface when sudden wealth or celebrity appeared. Interesting for those of us who look for character flaws to incorporate in our stories. Not so much fun when this phenomenon happens to one of our friends. Especially if they no longer care about nurturing the friendship from their end since they are now “important.”

Will success spoil us? Maybe. Maybe not. I have a feeling most of us would like to find out.